This is your SolarWakeup for December 17th, 2020

What It Means. Today at 11am eastern, join me and Phil Shen as well as our fellow industry insiders for a market update call, particularly focused on residential. You can read Phil’s market analysis on the possible ITC extension here as well as read his weekly market insights by contacting him. Registration for the webinar is here and anyone that’s been listening to the series (this is webinar #10) has definitely been given the most accurate analysis and forecast in the market.

An Early Christmas Gift. When it comes to policy, anything that is not discarded is very much possible. Such is the case, at this moment, that the ITC could be part of the omnibus spending bill. Attached to the omnibus will be a covid stimulus and possibly a tax extenders package where the ITC extension could be included. Congress is on the clock, the government runs our of funds at the end of the day Friday though OMB would consider the timing negligible if it appears a bill is imminent and things could flow into the weekend. Regardless that would require a spending agreement between the four corners and the White House before members vote on the agreed bill since a second go around wouldn’t be allowed by the calendar of events. I don’t anticipate Congress wanting to go home for Christmas without stimulus and a government shutdown so something is going to get done this week, whether tax extenders are included could be known any moment (most likely 5 minutes after you receive this email).

Mayor Pete’s Infra Week. The Department of Transportation is not one steeped in glamour but it offers Mayor Pete, one year my senior, a platform for the future. Over the next four years we will undoubtedly get an infrastructure week and with Granholm at DOE as well as unstoppable market forces see major shift on how we move as Americans. Infrastructure is the government spending bill that is hard for any members of Congress to deny and Pete will have the chance to visit many airports, train stations, and factories around America to spread his message. I’ll tell you another secret how this overlaps with our industry. Highways and railroads have the best easements in America, imagine high voltage DC transmission alongside roads and railroads to move renewable energy around the Country. This may seem far fetched but alas it has been worked on for a decade and needs action to get executed.

30 Years Of Solar. In this episode of SolarWakeup (or find it on spotify or Apple), the podcast, I speak with Dan Shugar. Dan is the CEO of Nextracker, one of the largest tracker company in the world, currently owned by Flex. Dan has been thinking about solar for over 30 years and our conversation weaved through many of the periods that led us to where we are today, a mainstream energy generator creating generation wealth opportunities. Conversations like this are difficult to maneuver for me because after 15 years in solar I have a lot of the background that some listeners may not know or recollect but I think this may be a great welcome to solar listen for everyone in the industry. You also get a first attempt at the 10 minute episode of SolarWakeup recap at the top, fast forward to minute 10 to get to the interview. I’d certainly appreciate it if you forward the episode along to friends and colleagues.

Solar For Clubs. My friends at Sustainable Capital Finance (SCF) have seen an uptick in interest for solar PPAs from schools, country clubs, and golf courses, as these off-takers have been impacted differently than other C&I energy consumers during the COVID-19 crisis. Golf & Country Clubs have seen increased revenue from golf and other outdoor activities, while schools would install solar while students aren’t on school grounds. In both scenarios, savings from a solar PPA are extremely attractive. Click here to learn more about how their subscription-free, proprietary software, the SCF suite, can help to speed up your PPA pricing and transaction process.

Opinion

Best, Yann